Ankhesenamun - The Hittite Letters

The Hittite Letters

A document was found in the ancient Hittite capital of Hattusa which dates to the Amarna period; the so called "Deeds" of Suppiluliuma I. The king receives a letter from the Egyptian queen, while being in siege on Karkemish. The letter reads:

"My husband has died and I have no son. They say about you that you have many sons. You might give me one of your sons to become my husband. I would not wish to take one of my subjects as a husband... I am afraid."

This document is considered extraordinary, as Egyptians traditionally considered foreigners to be inferior. Suppiluliuma I was surprised, and exclaimed to his courtiers:

"Nothing like this has happened to me in my entire life!"

Understandably, he was wary, and had an envoy investigate, but by so doing, he missed his chance to bring Egypt into his empire. He eventually did send one of his sons, Zannanza, but the prince died, perhaps murdered, en route.

The identity of the queen who wrote the letter is uncertain. She is called Dakhamunzu in the Hittite annuals, a possible translation of the Egyptian title Tahemetnesu (The King's Wife). Possible candidates are Nefertiti, Meritaten, and Ankhesenamun. Ankhesenamun seems more likely since there were no candidates for the throne on the death of her husband, Tutankhamun, whereas Akhenaten had at least two legitimate successors. Furthermore, the phrase regarding marriage to 'one of my subjects' (translated by some as 'servants') is most likely a reference to the Grand Vizier Ay who was pressuring the young widow to marry him and legitimise his claim to the throne of Egypt (which she eventually did). This also might explain why she describes herself as 'afraid', especially considering the popular (but not widely accepted) theory that Ay had a hand in her husband's death. A CT scan taken in 2005 shows that he had badly broken his leg shortly before his death, and that the leg had become infected. DNA analysis conducted in 2010 showed the presence of malaria in his system. It is believed that these two conditions (malaria and leiomyomata) combined, led to his death.